Latin Grammar: Gerunds

Aspsis est anguis morsu et veneno perniciosissimus, ab aspergendo aspis dictus, eo quod morsibus venena immittat morrifera atque spargat, ios enim Graeci venenum dicunt, ut dicit Isidor. lib. 12 c. 4 et sequitur [Etymologies 12.4], aspidis diversae sunt species, et habet dispares effectus ad nocendum.

Gerunds

A gerund is a verbal noun with no nominative form. It is translated using an "-ing" ending in English.

Therefore, aspergendo in the passage above is translated "sprinkling or spraying" from the verb aspergo (3). Since it follows the preposition ab, it is in the ablative case and is therefore rendered "by spraying." Nocendum, from noceo (2), is translated "killing."

Translate the gerunds in the following exercises.